Japanese TV Commercials

Way back in the early ’90s, Andy appeared in a series of Japanese TV commercials with a Japanese pop star. This made him officially big in Japan. Or something. For a while at least.

The commercials are for Tongari Corn, from House Foods. They’re the Japanese equivalent of Bugles in the US, those conical corn snacks you used to eat off your fingers when you were a kid.

This first spot is called Reverse Simultaneous Translation. It goes like this:

Pop star (in English): This is Tongari Corn, grilled corn flavor.

Andy (in Japanese): This is Tongari Corn, grilled corn flavor.

Pop star (in English): I am Japanese great star, Katsu!

Andy (in Japanese): It’s got all the savory deliciousness of grilled corn!

Pop star thunks head on microphone.

This next spot is called You know? and shows the pop star trying to teach Andy and another American about the product in English, and hilarity ensues: